The Druidian Chronicles
by Carlton1224
Summary: Story of a human teenager who becomes the sole protector and savior of a race of magic wielding beings known as Cremagi. Together with his three friends and Cremage partner, the boy must fight for the lives of the Cremagi and protect them from Darkness.
1. Prologue

The Druidian Chronicles

Book I: Rebirth of Shadow

Prologue

The bright and silvery full moon cast its glow all across the old and wise trees that made up the entirety of the Khine woods. They absorbed the light as if it were some form of alien nourishment giving them a glossy finish on their leaves. In contrast, the grand trees all cast shadows on the ground of the extensive forest all reaching out somewhere; and in the center of it all, protected by its great white stone walls that were two hundred feet high, was the magnificent city of Lynne, and it too cast its own shadow into the aging forest around it.

The city shone brightly even in the black night. The light from the full moon reflected off the white outer stonewall and was taken in by the brown walls of the many buildings and homes inside. In the center of the city stood the masterpiece of a palace. The white marble that made up the exterior could be seen for miles around. The spires stretched into the sky as if trying to scrape the clouds above with their fingertips. But only one spire was able to reach the clouds. This spire would cast the biggest shadow of them all.

At the very top of the highest spire was the throne room. It was a terrace like room in the fact that there was no ceiling. The open room had a wondrous view of the dark sky above it. The moon illuminated the white stone walkway that cut through the center of the room and was surrounded by plants, flowers, and foliage of all sorts. Other than that there was no actual flooring. The floor was made entirely of grass so as to give the rectangular room more of a courtyard feel. The walkway stretched from the stairway entrance at one end to the beautiful red and gold throne that sat on a raised platform at the other end. But tonight, the throne was empty. Its owner was busy pacing the walkway and going over past events in his mind.

He was a tall man of about six foot four. Then again, he could not really be called a man for he wasn't human. In fact, his features were more cat-like than human. The maroon skin that covered his face looked as if it was melting off for the many wrinkles and age lines said that he had seen many, many years. The cat-like ears were prominent on his head and allowed for acute hearing. A small white goatee descended down his chin and ended with a small curl. Unlike his face, the rest of his body did resemble that of a human on the outside, aside from the maroon skin that made up his hands. However, it was impossible to know for sure because he was covered from neck to foot in extravagant black armor that shined in the moonlight. A billowing red cape followed him wherever he walked and was fastened around his neck by a silver clasp.

King Rusade continued to pace the walkway of his throne room, every so often stopping to either ponder a significant possibility or to just gaze at the luscious plant life around the room until another thought sprung into his mind. It had been a long day for the king, a long day indeed. He had no idea how something as massive and serious as a double assassination could happen right under his nose. It simply wasn't possible. Had it been an inside job? That would be even more severe. What was worse was the fact that as far as Rusade knew, there was no one strong enough on the entire planet of Druidia that would be capable of murdering the two individuals. Yet, they were definitely dead, there was no questioning that. Therefore, someone or something had escaped his notice and that was what worried the king most of all.

How was he going to tell his subjects? How was he going to explain to his subjects that the pair of people the whole planet relied on for safety and order were now dead? The thought of not saying a word sprung into his mind but Rusade instantly cast it aside for he didn't want to lose the peoples' trust and nor would he be able to conceal this piece of knowledge for long. When neither of them would be seen in the next few days or possibly weeks then everyone would know something was wrong and he would be questioned anyway. There was no other option. Rusade had to give the dreadful and bleak news in a speech tomorrow afternoon.

He began to pace the walkway again and started planning different approaches to address the matter. The full moon continued to bathe the room in its mysterious silvery glow. The white marble walls reflected the light and they were given a glossy finish. It was as if someone had laminated the entire room in a thick layer of shiny plastic. A slight breeze caressed the plants and flowers surrounding the walkway and made them sway as if on their own. Normally, King Rusade would have cherished this time of night. Normally, he would have sat in his throne and gazed at it all with his wise and knowing eyes. But tonight was different; tonight, he was oblivious to it all.

It was disturbing. The Tamer, the very symbol of hope and everlasting peace, was dead, along with his Cremage partner. The murder of a Cremage, a member of the very magic wielding race that Rusade ruled over, was already considered the highest possible offence on the planet and was usually punished by either life in high security captivity or death, but the murder of a Tamer? It was unthinkable and made the king sick. Rusade had tried to contact the Tamer's Cremage an hour ago and had received no response. Furthermore, the pair of them were supposed to have been on their way to the nearby city of Algraed but upon interrogation of the city's officials, he learned that neither the Tamer nor the Cremage had shown up at all.

There was only one explanation that Rusade could think of: someone or something had, indeed, attacked them.

The king continued to pace the walkway for several more minutes; always his mind was racing, trying to piece together the puzzle laid bare in front of him. It was at least fifteen more minutes before Rusade's mind was temporarily relieved by a knock on the throne room door.

The King turned to face the closed mahogany door with its golden stripes that were holding the wood together. "Enter," he called.

Into the room walked another Cremage. He too resembled a human, but an unorthodox one. His light blue skin complemented his long, dark green hair. In fact, it was so long that it had to be bound in one extensive braid and was draped over the Cremage's shoulder. His face was flawless and his black eyes were sharp, clever, and piercing. The Cremage wore a small tan tunic that looked to be so tight that it would restrict his movement, however, his physical build suggested that he was quite agile.

"Sire," the Cremage started. "The soldiers you sent to look for the missing Tamer and Cremage. Two of them have found something in the mountains of the Kalandor region. They have brought it with them and are waiting outside the door." His voice was silky and hypnotizing, as if he were trying to put Rusade in a trance.

King Rusade's eyes narrowed. What had the soldiers found? He had sent them out to search but had not expected them to really find anything at all. He had been planning on going out to search in the morning and leaving his apprentice, Klanoa, in charge of the kingdom for the day. Had the soldiers actually found the Tamer; or perhaps the Cremage? Nevertheless, whatever it was, it had to be very important for Vespir to call on him in the dead of night.

"Very well, Vespir. Send them in," Rusade answered.

"I must warn you, Sire. It's not a very pleasant sight." Vespir turned to the door and retreated behind it. He returned with two of the palace soldiers following suit. They were dressed from head to foot in brilliant white armor and were carrying between them what looked like just a black mass of nothing. But when the soldiers stepped into the moonlight, the mass was illuminated to be one of the most disturbing things Rusade had ever seen.

The skin on the dead Tamer's body was as white as the armor covering the soldiers who seemed intent on not looking at the body at all. He was a human boy of about seventeen. His golden blonde hair was parted in the front and was filled with dirt from Rusade suspected the ground. His clothes were torn and burned in many places and there was a substantial hole in his chest that was covered in dry blood. Dry blood also leaked from both corners of his mouth. The boy's left leg had been completely severed at the knee.

Rusade took in the sight of the boy with horror. He turned to look at Vespir, his eyes wide, but the latter just turned his face away. Rusade turned again to the boy. Vespir had been right. The sight of Druidia's Tamer in this state was almost too much for the king to bear. It took every ounce of the king's being to swallow all his sorrow for the time being to lift the body from the hands of the soldiers, lay it at the foot of his throne, and turn back to the soldiers in order to interrogate them. He spoke softly, in whispers, as if he were afraid to wake up the Tamer from the dead.

"Where did you say you found him?" he said. The soldier on his left was quickest to speak.

"Inside the Kalandor Mountains, my Liege. We think his Cremage partner had also been there but the Cremage had been obliterated beyond all possible recognition. There was blood spattered everywhere." The soldier turned to his comrade.

"We are very sorry, Sire," said the second soldier. "We couldn't bring the Cremage back as well. But there were great burn marks all around the valley where they were that suggested some sort of fight took place."

"Of course there had been a fight," responded Rusade. "Cremagi are supposed to protect their Tamers, not the other way around. Besides, humans possess no magic.

"At what time did you discover the bodies?" the king continued. He was no longer staring at the soldier but was looking up into the sky instead.

"Around 4 o'clock," the first soldier answered. It was now well past midnight.

"We took a bit of time to examine the scene," the second soldier added, apologetically.

Rusade continued to stare into the night sky. All the stars seemed to stare right back at them. Each one of those stars had, at one time, been past Tamers of Druidia. As he looked on, a new star suddenly shined into view. The blonde haired boy had joined his kin of Tamer blood. Rusade turned back to the pair of palace guards.

"Very well," he sighed. His face suddenly became very grave. The change had been so quick that the soldiers were thrown off guard. "You are to call back all the other guards who are still out searching as soon as you leave this room. The pair of you are relived of duty for the rest of the night and tomorrow. You will speak of what you have found to absolutely no one. If anyone asks what has happened then tell them you know nothing. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," they responded in unison. Each gave a small salute to their king. With a wave of his hand, Rusade dismissed them both and they turned and marched through the door, closing it behind them. Rusade continued to watch the door after the soldiers had left. He couldn't seem to get his mind to work anymore. The sight of the mutilated Tamer had shaken him up so much. He turned around and looked again at the dead human boy now lying at the foot of his throne. Rusade walked over and with one finger gently closed his still open eyes.

"A shame," he whispered. "to die so young and so harshly. May his soul be at peace with the Tamers of Old."

Vespir walked over beside the king. He too looked at the boy, but not with the same sorrowful look that his king had. Vespir acknowledged the former Tamer with curiosity, specifically at the boy's left wrist where a jet-black, technological wristband that consisted of two square buttons and a wide screen was fit snugly over what appeared to be stretch marks on the boy's wrist.

"Sire, do you see those?" he asked, pointing at the stretch marks.

Rusade looked where his trusted attendant was pointing. He lifted the blonde haired boy's wrist into his hands and stared at the marks. So the target had not necessarily been the Tamer, but the Tetraband.

"Yes, Vespir, I do now. It appears that whomever attacked our young friend tried to remove the Tetraband by force, crudely and unsuccessfully." Rusade gently flipped the boy's hand over and traced the length of the bottom of the wristband with his index finger. Instantly the wristband unlatched itself from the former Tamer's wrist. It was almost as if it had been waiting for Rusade's touch. The king was about to speak again but was interrupted by a second knock on his throne room door.

The pair of them turned in time to see a very small creature wrapped up in a brown cloak enter in to the terrace like room. The hood of the cloak was pulled up over her dark green and extremely wrinkled face. The hood covered the creature's eyes and gave the illusion that it had no idea where it was going. The miniature Cremage spoke with a mystic tone that seemed to linger in the air afterward.

"Forgive me for intruding upon you in this ghostly hour," she wheezed.

Rusade's face softened for the Cremage. "Not at all, Deigh," he answered. "Vespir and I were just talking about past events."

"Ahhh, yes. The matter of the missing Tamer, I trust? Have you found him yet?" Her question was answered as Rusade and Vespir both stepped aside to reveal the cold and lifeless body of Druidia's former Tamer. Deigh gingerly stepped as close as she could to the soundless teenager's face and almost touched her nose to his in examination. She then continued to examine the burned hole in his chest, his missing leg, and his torn and charred clothes until finally, she too rested her eyes onto the Tetraband which was now next to the boy's hand on the ground.

She picked the wristband up and laced her frail fingers around the technological marvel. "This boy has suffered a horrible fate. There is Dark power at work here, very Dark power, indeed."

Vespir's eyes narrowed. "How can you tell? How do you know it wasn't the result of an accident or a Cremage who got a bit too big for his ego? There are plenty of those."

"He has the distinct aura," she answered simply, replacing the Tetraband next to the boy's hand. "The aura of Black magic surrounds him." She turned back to face the king and his attendant. "But, alas, although this is a sorrowful sight and should not be taken lightly I might add, Sire," she continued with a nod of agreement from Rusade. "I come bearing some other news; news of a more…prophetic area.

"Approximately one hour ago, I had been sitting in my back room. I was staring into my crystal ball. Suddenly, I blacked out. I fell forward onto my table, passed out cold and-"

"Are you alright, Deigh?" Rusade interrupted. With a wave of her hand, Deigh silenced the wise king, a power no one else had over him.

"I stand before you on this cloudy night. Therefore, I am fine."

Vespir looked up into the sky, narrowing his eyes yet again and Rusade knew he was thinking the same thing. There wasn't a single cloud in the dark sky above them.

"As I was saying," Deigh continued. "I passed out onto my table and was visited by the image of a boy, a human boy to be exact. He seemed carefree, almost naïve. But his courage and his heart were undeniable. He was a strong boy, indeed, although, I'm sure he didn't know it. And then he spoke, as if to me intentionally. It was not a normal conversation or random chatter," she looked into the king's eyes.

"It was a prophecy of events to come."

Rusade nodded his head in understanding. Deigh was the most famed Seer in Druidia. There were others who claimed to be just as good but Rusade knew that Deigh was unparalleled. Her predictions had never been wrong in her 3500 years of life. It was then that the wizened Seer recited the prophecy back to the king as if it were a fairy tale that she had heard hundreds of times and knew by heart.

"_Shadow grows stronger._

_On the eve of the death of Light,_

_The seal on Shadow will break._

_But with the death of Light,_

_Comes the Rebirth as well._

_Light anew will take shape_

_In one who wields the Cremage birthright._

_Shadow grows stronger._

_So, too, does the Light._

_So, too, does the Eternal Darkness."_

As she finished, Deigh looked to the sky. It was almost as if she expected some miracle to happen right there in the blackness above them, slightly illuminated only by the glow from the silvery moon.

Rusade pondered the Seer's words with great interest. He now understood why she had said it was a cloudy night. No doubt she had taken an hour to come to him because she had taken time to figure the prophecy out for herself so as to give him a better idea of what was in store. Rusade decided to try and pick it apart one line at a time.

Shadow grows stronger… that was self-explanatory to an extent. The eve of the death of Light would have to be last night and the Light would have to represent the Tamer. But what was the seal on Shadow? Surely it couldn't be the seal he had made thousands of years ago… that evil was still locked away as far as he knew. The rebirth of Light would naturally be the new Tamer to aid Druidia. But what was the mention of wielding the Cremage birthright? Surely the new Tamer couldn't possess magic. No human had the ability. However, the last part was what worried Rusade the most. Eternal Darkness was growing stronger according to Deigh. Any form of that kind of Darkness usually referred to powerful and evil magic, and Deigh was never wrong.

"So, Deigh," Rusade said, turning to her. "what do you believe this prophecy foretells?" He could hear the anxiousness and slight fear in his own voice.

"Nothing more than what you have no doubt already figured out," she smiled. But it was a sympathetic smile, as if she pitied the wise king. As the frail Seer turned to leave, she added, "I would send that wristband out to a new Tamer quickly. The sky is darker than normal tonight. Have you noticed?" She closed the door behind her.

Vespir turned to Rusade. He hadn't understood as much as Rusade had but he had gotten the gist of it.

"My Liege, I will take the Tetraband now to be sent off to Earth."

"Yes, Vespir. I believe that would be a good idea." Rusade answered gravely. "We must also do something about the boy as well, otherwise-" But Rusade was unable to finish his sentence. He suddenly clutched at his head, which had abruptly grown cold and was now echoing with a high, maniacal laughter. A deep despair filled his soul and he was robbed of his breath. Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped. Rusade took a few moments to catch his now cold breath and suddenly realized that he had stumbled and was being supported by Vespir.

"Sire!" he exclaimed, startled by Rusade's sudden fall. "Are you alright?"

The Cremage king regained his breath and stood up unsupported again. "No, Vespir," he answered darkly. "No I am not, and neither will anyone else be if this isn't taken care of." Rusade had been wrong. The seal had, indeed, broken after all these years. Shadow was free.

He retrieved the Tetraband from the side of the permanently sleeping Tamer and placed it in Vespir's hand. "Take this to be sent to Earth immediately. This can wait no longer, not even until the morning."

"Yes, Sire," Vespir answered. He turned to leave.

"And Vespir?"

"Yes?"

Rusade's face became hard and severe. "Send Klanoa to me when you're done. The time has finally come."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Two Years Later

Dusk had fallen over the quaint little town of Branford, Connecticut. The skies were gradually turning blacker and blacker as if some divine entity was pulling a dark blanket across the sky. A slight breeze blew through the air temporarily relieving the citizens from the dry august air that was the normality. The breeze caressed the trees throughout the town and made the small forest on the outskirts sway in tune with its whisperings. A crimson sunset was just finishing and casting its red and orange rays into a small clearing in the heart of the woods where two teenagers were lying in the center staring up at the sky.

James Jones was a fifteen-year old boy with copper colored hair. He was a tall and lanky boy of about six feet and was perfectly comfortable in his red hooded sweatshirt and white khaki pants. They were, after all, his signature get-up. The setting sun's rays reflected off his thin brown-rimmed glasses that complemented his hair. As he lay there in the grass, watching the sunset, his thoughts drifted to the very pretty red headed girl lying next to him with her head resting sideways on his chest.

Alexis Arnolds was also fifteen and her reputation of being the prettiest girl in Branford High School preceded her. Her long scarlet hair fell to just below her shoulder blades. Her face was without any flaws whatsoever and always seemed to give off some sort of luminescent glow. She had wrapped herself in James's arm so as to somewhat protect herself from the chilly air blowing overhead; the pink tee shirt and the old pair of jeans that clothed her were not sufficient to do the job alone.

James averted his eyes from the sunset to watch his girlfriend with pure pride. They had been best friends for as long as James could remember but it wasn't until recently that they had decided to become more. He felt it was the best decision he had ever made. James could think of nothing better than to spend his time with the one girl he had always had a crush on since their childhood. Now that they were together, his dream was finally coming true. Of all the guys in their school, she had chosen him and that's what made it the most special of all.

The pair of them continued to lie in the grass without any word to each other. No words needed to be spoken for they both knew that this was the best night so far they had ever spent together. They continued to just stare at the sky, as it steadily grew darker signifying the incoming night.

"Look," said Alexis, her arm pointing into the sky. Her voice was soft and had the sound of someone speaking to a child. "there's a star."

James followed her finger and he, too, saw the first star of the night. "Yeah, it's the perfect night for spotting them."

Alexis turned her head to look up at him with her caring brown eyes. She brought her hand over her head and reached for James's hair. He looked back at her and said nothing while she twisted it around her fingers. "I've always loved your red hair."

"And here all this time I thought you loved me for me," he replied, smiling. "Turns out your just dating me for my hair."

"You know that isn't true," Alexis answered. "Don't get sarcastic with me."

James laughed and hugged her close. He was starting to get a little chilly himself but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to leave. The sky had turned completely dark now and thousands of tiny stars twinkled through the blackness to smile at the pair of them on the forest floor.

James wished he could just lay here forever with Alexis, that they could forget about the world and just spend the rest of their lives in each other's embrace exactly like they were doing now. But he knew it wasn't possible for they had school in a few weeks, not to mention other chores and responsibilities to take care of. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but lose himself in this utopia he had created with Alexis at its center.

Another hour went by consisting of nothing but watching the night sky and holding each other in their arms.

"What time is it?" Alexis finally asked.

James looked down at the jet-black wristband on his left wrist. It was a real technological marvel. The wide blank screen on its front covered most of the top of the wristband. Next to the screen were two large square buttons, one red and one green. James pushed the green one and the screen came to life. It quickly flashed the date and time before it showed a menu screen that gave three options: sync, program, and transfer. In the bottom right corner of the screen was another choice. It read, "interface up". James pushed the red button and the screen lost its life once again.

"It's about a quarter to ten," James answered looking back at Alexis, but she didn't return his gaze. Instead, she stared at the now blank screen of the wristband that had just turned off.

James followed her gaze and his heart bounded into his throat. It was happening again. In a few seconds, Alexis was going to ask him about what she referred to as "the watch". She wasn't the only one who questioned it either. Ever since the thing had crash-landed in his back yard two years ago, every person James had ever talked to wanted to know about its real purpose. But what was James supposed to tell them? Certainly not that he was the protector of an entire alternate planet, that he was in contact with a whole other race of beings, that he was known as The Tamer. Sure enough-

"I wish you would tell me what that watch actually is."

"I've told you countless times," James replied. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's some sort of government tech or an experiment."

Alexis narrowed her eyes and gave him a wry look. "You know as well as I do that that _thing _is not government technology. It does things that no one has ever seen! It can interact with anything that runs on electricity, it rearranges computer data, it downloads and transfers stuff and who knows what else!"

James looked down at the jet-black wristband. He hated lying to Alexis with all of his being, but there was no way he could tell her what it was really for. On the other hand, he wasn't really lying to her completely. Although he knew it had to do with him being the Tamer, he was not aware of any other purpose it served to him. For all he knew, this "watch" was a fashion statement that came with the job of protecting the other planet. Maybe it was a gift in exchange for his eternal loyalty to the planet's king? It certainly felt like a gift as it made his everyday life somewhat easier. But there was absolutely no way anyone could know of its origins. No one would believe him and James had been told that the entire race, known as the Cremagi, was to be kept under strict secrecy.

"Alexis," James said as he looked into her eyes. "I honestly don't know what it is or what it's for."

Alexis looked back at him. Her face seemed to light up the night around them as if she was a human nightlight. Her features were clearly visible in the velvet darkness that surrounded the pair of them. She sighed and then continued to stare at the stars in the sky a little longer before finally she sat up straight and asked the time again.

"It's now just about ten o'clock," James said after checking the watch again. Alexis started to get up.

"We need to get going then," she said. "My mom wanted me home by now."

James stood up too and wiped the loose grass from his pants. "I don't understand why she wants you home so early every time you go somewhere with me. She's known me for years but she acts like you're going somewhere with a complete stranger."

"I don't know," Alexis replied with a sigh. The pair of them started back towards town through the woods they had come through to get to the clearing. They each walked with an arm around the other's waist and all the while talking about miscellaneous topics of their lives. They talked about school and how it would be harder this year now that they were going to be sophomores at Branford High School. They talked about how the sky was getting darker faster now that fall was almost upon them and summer was finally ending. They even talked about how they were going to stretch out these last few weeks before school as much as they could.

As they reached the edge of the forest and the outskirts of town started to come into view, the two teenagers lessened their pace in a desperate effort to lengthen their time together. They walked huddled together as the air had become significantly colder than when they had been in the forest. No doubt the trees had been sheltering them from the full effects of the wind. The houses they now passed looked so warm and cozy that James and Alexis huddled even closer out of sheer jealousy for the inhabitants of the insulated boxes lining both sides of the street.

They turned down another street and Alexis's house came into view. It was a brown two floor home with a small one-car garage attached to its far left. There was a fairly sized red bike leaning up against its door. A stone pathway stretched its long gray arm from the French doorway that marked the house's entrance to the mailbox standing guard at the sidewalk. Golden brown leaves that decorated the lawn had fallen from the large oak tree in the neighbor's yard. The small hedges lining the front walls of the house were fairly short but provided shelter for the squirrels and chipmunks that commonly roamed the area. A large deck could be seen in the back yard.

"By the way," Alexis said as they approached the stone walkway. "What time are we meeting at Ashley's tomorrow?"

"I thought we were going to be there by ten thirty in the morning," James answered. The thought of the legendary parlor's ice cream melting in his mouth filled his senses. He subconsciously licked his lips and Alexis laughed.

Alexis's mother was standing in the doorway of their home. She very closely resembled her daughter for she had the same long scarlet hair and flawless face. It was like she was an older version of Alexis that had come from the future. Mrs. Arnolds looked very cold in her nightgown and her arms were folded tightly across her breast. A look of impatience was plastered on her face.

"Hurry up and get inside, Alexis. You were supposed to be home twenty minutes ago. Oh, hello, James," she added as she shivered on the front step. James waved a polite hello to her in response.

"Hold on, Mom," Alexis answered, clearly annoyed at her mother's impatience. She turned back to James, gave him a hug and kiss good night, and then turned to walk inside. Mrs. Arnolds gave James a hurried wave good-bye and closed the door behind them. James stood there watching the now closed door for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and walked over to his red bike that was still in a deep slumber next to the garage door of the Arnolds residence.

He got on the seat and started to ride at a fairly slow pace down the road toward the direction of his own home. As he rode, James lost himself in his many and unrelenting thoughts. At first it was just the prospect of the events to come in the following morning when he was going to meet Alexis at the ice cream parlor in the center of town. James could already see himself sitting with Alexis and stuffing his face with a large cone of chocolate ice cream. The thought made him swell with joy.

As he turned a particularly tight corner, however, the teenager's thoughts drifted to the black wristband he was wearing. He hadn't meant to think about it. In fact, the wristband had been the last thing on his mind until he had inadvertently glanced at it while snaking his bike around the curve. His once jubilant thoughts had been rapidly replaced with ones of confusion, guilt, and loneliness. As James passed the many houses along the rural streets he pedaled down, he couldn't help but feel jealous of the families that lived inside them. They had normality in their lives. James hadn't had any normality for two full years. Nowadays he often dreamed of the past, the past that consisted of just him and his friends, family, and school. True, he still had all of these treasures, but most of the time they were neglected or pushed aside for matters of a more alien nature. The daunting prospect of his double life as the protector of an entire other planet might have been more bearable and much less depressing if there were someone he could talk to about it or even just to vent his feelings to. Instead, James was alone in his task and his thoughts. He couldn't even tell anyone about what was going on with him because who on Earth would listen? Everyone would believe him to have lost his sanity. Furthermore, it had been made crystal clear that he was forbidden to reveal his double life to anyone no matter how dire the circumstances may seem.

James didn't dwell on his depressing thoughts for long as they contrasted with his usually carefree attitude and he didn't like the feelings that they gave him. Instead, he focused on riding his bike through the now blackened streets of town. He started to pedal faster so as to feel the wind slap against his face. He got so caught up in the ride that he had almost gone completely past his own house and had to turn around in order to go up the driveway and around to the back door.

Getting off his bike, James leaned it up against the wall of the house and opened the screen door of the three-story condo that led in to the dark dining room.

The kitchen light was on. It cast an almost eerie glow on the rest of the dining room, which was raised up over the rectangular living area. The fireplace sat in the far corner looking as desolate and dried up as was the norm. Shadows cast by the kitchen light danced around the pair of rooms with their long velvet figures. As James went to climb the stairs leading off from the dining room to his bedroom above, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Something fairly large had stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room. The redhead's initial fears were somewhat alleviated when his Father came into view.

"About time you got home. I was about ready to go to Alexis's house to make you come home," Mr. Jones was a decent sized man. His larger build was the total opposite of his son's somewhat wiry body. Although despite their appearances, both of them were pretty strong. His ebony hair and mustache were starting to give in to the graying signs of age; however, Mr. Jones never let his age keep him from doing the things he wanted to do. One could definitely say he had a temper and it was no secret that James and his Father never could see eye to eye.

"I'm glad you didn't," said James. He had to force himself to keep his tone in check.

"You're not an adult and you live under my house," his Dad retorted. "While both of those things stay true, you'll do as you're told. I said I wanted you home an hour ago. Next time, you be home when I tell you or you won't be going out at all."

James shot his Dad a glare before continuing to go upstairs. Years of living with the man had taught him that if he tried to argue then his point would be ignored and the latter would just yell louder and louder until he got his way. James trudged up the stairs and turned to the second door on the left at the first landing. He quietly opened the door, stepped into his room, and closed it behind him so as not to wake his already sleeping mother and sister. Within the course of 5 seconds, his shoes were kicked off, the light was on, and he was sitting on his futon.

The bedroom was generously large for the house's size and had to be one of the biggest rooms in the condo. It boasted enough room to hold a full-sized futon, a small red cushion chair, a very tall bookcase, a desk with chair, a lamp in one corner, and a double door closet which cleverly kept his dresser hidden from sight. The ceiling reached roughly 20 feet above and the walls were painted a homey shade of peach color. Various bowling trophies were scattered around the room and on the walls with no real thought towards organization and a dirty clothes hamper rested next to the futon on the maroon carpet that covered the floor.

James sat on his futon and stared at the watch absently. He wasn't really thinking about anything in particular. Recently, there would be times where he would just zone out completely, unsure of what was on his mind or what was going on around him. He would sometimes even get ludicrous thoughts that the world around him wasn't real and his real world was on the planet where he was The Tamer. The thoughts never lasted long, though, and he knew they weren't true. Alexis was proof of that, as were his other friends, Ben and Margaret. James shook his head to snap him out of the recesses of his mind and stripped off his clothes. He pulled on a pair of pajamas from his dresser and vainly attempted to take the wristband off his wrist. Despite his best efforts, the wristband remained no looser than before James had tugged at it and still appeared somehow glued to his flesh. The teenager shrugged his shoulders to himself unconcerned and dived onto the futon, not even bothering to unfold it, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

He was standing in a courtyard, a gleaming red sword held tightly at his side. He could feel the presence of other people closely behind him but didn't bother to look to see who they were. Something told him he had to keep looking in front of himself no matter what. The sky seemed darker than usual even though there were no clouds to block the moonlight. But even the moon seemed to cast a glow that was different from its usually friendly light; it seemed eerie, almost foreboding.

James's eyes cautiously traced the room for what he was supposed to be looking for but was having trouble adjusting to the natural light that was shining onto the grassy room. After one last look around, he was about to turn to see who he was standing with when his gaze stopped dead on the marvelous red and gold throne at the other end of the courtyard. Something was materializing out of thin air into the throne's cushioned seat. James tightened the grip on the sword and watched with a mix of fear and curiosity as the silhouette grew larger and larger. Before he knew what he was doing, James was suddenly rushing the shadow with a fury he had no idea for the reason behind. He raised the crimson blade over his head, ready to strike, and just when he was about to swing, the shadow opened its eyes. They were pure white and completely devoid of pupils. James's own eyes widened with terror as he lost himself in the endless piercing stare of the thing sitting in the throne and began to fall. He couldn't control himself. There was nothing to stop him from falling backwards into the blackness. He watched as the shadow opened a mouth and started laughing a high, bone chilling laugh.

James opened his eyes. He was staring at his bedroom ceiling. His eyes twitched in their sockets as he tried to take in the familiar surroundings of his room. A few more seconds passed and the shock from his dream subsided and gave his body permission to move again. Circling his legs off the futon and onto the floor, James groggily rubbed the crust off his eyes and reached for his glasses on the futon's arm. It was only after putting them on that he became aware of the irritating buzzing noise that was filling the room. Looking around, he saw his clock flashing on one of the bookcase shelves. Stretching himself awake, he got up and walked over to see the screen more clearly. The digital numbers read ten fifteen.

With the realization that he was going to be late with his date with Alexis giving his body a jumpstart, James got dressed, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and was out the door and on his bike in a matter of minutes. He pedaled fiercely through the morning streets of Branford while hoping that his oversleeping had not caused him to be too late. As the ice cream parlor finally came into view, James breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Alexis waiting patiently with her arms folded across her breast outside the parlor. She raised her eyes at his approach and watched him lock up his bike.

"Sorry," James choked through bouts of trying to catch his breath. "I overslept a bit."

Alexis shook her head. "I can't say I'm surprised. You must have rushed to get here though because you're out of breath and you're wearing the same clothes you were wearing last night."

James looked down at his appearance. Indeed, the same red hooded sweatshirt and khaki white pants shielded his body from the slightly windy day.

"How late was I?" he asked.

"About fifteen minutes," She grabbed his hand and the two of them walked into Ashley's Ice Cream.

The parlor was surprisingly warm for an ice cream shop. The black and white tiled floor neatly held up small tables and wicker chairs that were variously placed around the room. All the drawings and sketches of the parlor's younger customers decorated the walls to the point where it was impossible to tell what color the walls were originally. Frisbees lined the tops of the walls circling the entire room. The whole place gave off a distinctly comforting and friendly aura. The parlor was clearly decorated with a family atmosphere in mind.

"I'm gonna get us a table by one of the windows," Alexis said.

"Alright," James responded. "What kind of ice cream do you want?"

He glanced over at her and saw her shrug her shoulders as she answered "Surprise me." and went to sit at one of the tables. James couldn't help but smile to himself. After all this time, Alexis still felt the need to throw him random tests whenever they went out together. It was one of the things James always liked about her. She never ceased to keep him on his toes even for the little things like getting an ice cream. With the answer to her test that he knew all too well pulsing through his mind, he went up to the counter and ordered their ice creams. He paid, grabbed the cup and cone, and went to sit with his girlfriend.

"Ohhhhhh, Gummy Bears!" Alexis exclaimed as she happily took her spoon and started digging into her ice cream with the same excitement of someone who had just stumbled upon a massive cave of gold. James sat down across from her and cheerfully observed her for a few seconds before starting on his own cone of chocolate ice cream.

The pair of them ate their ice cream in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the tasty treats James had bought for them. It was hard to imagine that days like this were going to be cut short, yet again, by school in two weeks. It was the same cycle every year. 180 days, give or take a few, of school and then roughly 3 months of summer vacation. The endless circle was enough to drive anyone into wishing school would just be over permanently. But for James, this cycle was never old or dull. There was always something new to do in that other world, always something new that had to be taken care of. However, despite his constant praise from the Cremagi and his status as the Tamer, James couldn't help but feel like he wasn't getting the whole story…

His thoughts were interrupted by another pair of people, the same age, walking into the parlor and pulling up chairs to sit with him and Alexis. They were a boy and girl, the other two people in James's close circle of friends. Alexis abandoned her ice cream just long enough to say hi to the two newcomers before allowing her face to disappear once more into the remaining chilly vanilla hills still left in her cup.

"We saw you two in the window as we passed by and decided to join you. Hope that's ok," the girl said. Margaret Chase was the third and last redhead in their group. She was a year younger than everyone else but more than made up for it with her seemingly endless wisdom. She was known to be able to read emotions so well that it had become nearly impossible to hide anything from her. James and Margaret always had a strong bond with each other. The latter looked up to James as a brother and James always treated Margaret in the same way. As a result, Margaret knew James better than anyone else and was his trusted confident whenever something plagued his mind.

"Clearly we aren't interrupting a date or anything. I was worried that might be the case," Ben Barringham chimed in, making no attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He was the oddball of the group as far as hair color went. His dirty blonde head clashed violently with the sea of redheads he was constantly seen with. His rosy cheeks always gave him the appearance that he had just been through some strenuous physical labor. However, what made Ben stand out from the rest was his mind. Ben was quite literally a genius, to say the least. Boasting an IQ of over 170, there wasn't a problem he couldn't work out given enough time and his vast knowledge of just about everything made him a very valuable asset in any situation. The only flaw in his brainpower was his lack of awareness of human emotions which Margaret clearly had him beat in.

"No, you two are fine," James answered. "You know you're welcome anytime." Alexis nodded in agreement.

The four of them sat gathered around the small table for what seemed like hours. Alexis and Margaret had long been deeply absorbed in a conversation about summer homework and Ben was just as engrossed in a cone of ice cream he had eventually got for himself. James made occasional conversation with Ben through the latter's mouthfuls of ice cream and chimed in the odd opinion for the two girls. Eventually, he turned his attention towards the world on the other side of the window. He absently watched the cars and people passing by and remembered the weird dream he had had the night before. Trying to piece together what had happened, he had remembered the courtyard like room he and whoever else had been there were in as well as the beautiful red sword he had been holding. He had never seen that sword in his life yet felt a strange familiarity with it. But it couldn't be something he'd known about. It must have just been created by his mind like the rest of the dream. Although, he had to admit to himself that it had seemed very real.

"James, are you alright?"

He didn't quite register Margaret's voice at first and took a few moments before turning his face towards his friends. All three were watching him with the same curious look.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he answered. "Just had a weird dream last night." Margaret raised her eyebrows, a sign that she trying to read him.

"About what?" Alexis asked.

James told them all he could remember about the dream he had experienced the night before. He told them about the courtyard, the magnificent sword, the feeling of others being there with him, and of the shadowy person that had been sitting in the throne at the other end of the courtyard. His three friends listened intently throughout the tale and waited patiently until James was finished.

"I know it was just a dream but it still felt so real," James finished. He looked at each of his friends in turn. Ben looked pleasantly bemused, Alexis was grinning, and Margaret still had her eyebrows raised.

Ben was the first to speak. "Well, it's widely believed that dreams more often than not have hidden meanings behind them. It could be something you've always wanted to do, or a reflection of how you're feeling, or even just a repeat of a daydream you've had in the past."

"Oh, he daydreams all the time," Alexis laughed as she reached around the table to hug James. "It's hard to keep him focused on anything for longer than a minute."

"Hey," said James. "totally uncalled for!"

"Love you too!" Alexis retorted and the four of them laughed.

Just then, James's wristband starting making an obnoxious beeping noise and the screen began flashing red. James quickly glanced down at it and then excused himself from the table much to the curious and confused looks from his friends. He rushed out of the parlor and into a nearby alley. After checking that the coast was clear and no one was coming, he touched the flashing screen and the beeping stopped immediately. A few seconds later, a holographic screen rose up from the wristband and what appeared to be some sort of rabbit-like creature suddenly came into view. The rabbit began to speak.

"We've got an issue. Something important has come up."

"What's wrong?" James spoke to the screen.

"I can't say now," the rabbit answered. He looked serious. "I just need you here as soon as-"

James heard movement behind him. His heart leapt into his throat as his stomach did a somersault. He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want for his secret to have finally been revealed. Any second now, he would hear someone call out to him. Maybe there was a chance he could talk his way out of it. He always was a decent liar, though he hated admitting it. He waited. He couldn't hear anything. Perhaps he had imagined it? But then-

"Who's that? Another human?" said the Rabbit. "Well then, you know what to do. Take care of the wipe and then come here immediately. Klanoa, out." With that, the picture of the rabbit disappeared and the holographic screen vanished.

James waited a few more seconds. Someone was definitely there; Klanoa had confirmed it. He had been hoping he could be careful enough to never have to perform a memory wipe with the wristband but it looked like that wouldn't be the case. However, when he turned around to see who had caught him, he couldn't bring himself to ready the wristband.

Alexis was standing not ten feet from where he was, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide. James couldn't tell if she was scared or in pure shock. Not that it really mattered because either way he had been caught.

"Alexis…I-I can explain," he started. She didn't respond. She just stood there. James took a step towards her. He took the fact that she didn't move as a good sign.

"Lex?"

"What…the hell…did I just…" Her voice trailed off. James saw her eyes travel from him to the wristband.

"Lex, go get Margaret and Ben. I need to tell you all something," James sighed. He watched her slowly turn around but never leave her gaze. It was as if she was afraid he was going to try and run off or suddenly vanish from sight altogether. He watched her slowly walk out of the alley and waited no longer than a minute for her to return with Margaret and Ben in tow.

"James, what's going on? Alexis is pretty shaken up. Did the two of you have a fight or-"

"No," James interrupted Margaret. "we didn't have a fight but I have something I need to tell the three of you." Ben nodded and Margaret raised her eyebrows. Alexis just stared at him blankly.

He told them everything. He told them how two years ago, the wristband had crash landed in his backyard. When he went to inspect the crater, the wristband had latched onto his wrist of its own accord and, despite his best efforts, he had been unable to free his arm of its grasp ever since. He told them how he had been whisked away to some sort of alternate planet, about how he had encountered the race of Cremagi and become their guardian. He told them how he had been partnered with a rabbit-like Cremage called Klanoa. He told them how it had become his duty to watch over the planet as its sole human protector. After finishing his explanation, James searched his friends' faces for some hint of understanding, some glimmer that they didn't think he was crazy. Alexis had sunk to the ground in disbelief while Ben had slowly gone from interested to completely blown away. Margaret on the other hand, had not changed her patented raised-eyebrow look throughout the entire story.

James waited for one of them to react first. He felt that if he said anymore, he would jeopardize any chance he had of them accepting his story. Finally, Margaret walked up to him and placed the back of her hand on his forehead, checking to see if he had a fever.

"What's wrong with you?" she whispered to him so the other two couldn't hear. "You aren't relapsing are you?" She was referring to a part of James's past that only she knew. James had once lost himself completely to depression and created an alternate reality in his mind as an escape from the real world. He lived in that fake reality for years, finally believing it was his life until Margaret finally caught on and snapped him out of it. It was her who had kept him from sinking back into his depressive state and allowed him to return to his old self.

"No, I'm not relapsing," James whispered back. "I'm being totally serious and I can prove it to you." He knew taking them to the other planet was not going to end well but it was the only way he could see that would keep him from losing his best friend, his "sister", and his girlfriend who he loved most of all. He took a glance at Alexis from over Margaret's head. She seemed to have regained a bit of her composure. He wanted to just walk over and hold her but knew that Margaret wasn't going to let him go anywhere without being totally sure of him.

"I'm not relapsing," he repeated to her. She took her hand off his head.

"Alright, James," she said louder so everyone could hear her. "Let's say we believe you for one second. How are you willing to back yourself up?"

"I, for one, don't see how the entire thing is even plausible, let alone possible," said Ben. "I mean, come on. An entire race of beings on an alternate planet who knows how far away that you can just zap to at any point in time? That's completely ridiculous."

"Give me a second and I'll prove you wrong for probably the first and last time," James retorted. He slowly walked over to Alexis and crouched down to her level for the latter decided that she needed to sit on the ground to regain herself. She cautiously looked up at him with her caring brown eyes. James wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as tight as he could muster. He wanted to put all his feelings for her into that one hug and hoped that they would somehow reach her. After a few seconds, she brought her arms up and hugged him back just as hard. It was then that James knew she understood just how much he cared about her. He gave her a kiss and helped her back onto her feet, never letting go of her hand. Then, he turned to Margaret and Ben.

"If you're really willing to let me prove to you that I'm not making this up, then I'll take you there right now," he said.

Margaret folded her arms. "Won't someone know we're missing after we don't come back for who knows how long?"

"This wristband has the capability to transcend Time as well as Space. We can return to the exact moment in Time that we left."

Ben laughed. "Oh, I've heard it all now! Well then, go ahead and do it! Let's see this all-powerful watch of yours!" But his laugher was soon replaced with a look of complete and utter disbelief as James turned on the wristband and hit the Transfer button. A great cerulean portal tore itself silently into the space in front of them and remained spinning, waiting patiently for its maker to step through. Margaret and Ben mirrored each other's looks of shock but Alexis remained calmly clinging to James's arm, her scarlet hair flowing in the wind from the portal. James turned towards Margaret and Ben and then slowly walked with Alexis into the swirling space created by the hole. A quick glance backward told him that the other two had followed him and Alexis inside. The portal closed itself up and the four teenagers were swallowed by the darkness. Nothing remained in the alley to tell that they had ever been there at all.


End file.
